Tristan Thompson isn’t leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Because, you know, duh.
But also because LeBron James says so.
LeBron did one of those things where he answers a question or 80 on Twitter Tuesday evening. One fan was curious about the scuttlebutt surrounding Thompson, a restricted free agent, who has yet to re-sign with the Cavaliers despite reports earlier in the offseason stating that his return was not only inevitable, but imminent.
Anyone preparing to slam the panic button because of the delay in proceedings can calm down, though. LeBron, who is already returning to Cleveland, has the lowdown:
@YrNGiovanni @RealTristan13 Yeah of course he will. Means way too much to our team success!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 28, 2015
Phew.
But not really.
If another team was going to even try and poach Thompson, it would have happened already. There’s probably been some stuff behind the scenes, but he never signed an offer sheet to force the Cavaliers’ hand, and there’s nothing he can really do now.
After the Portland Trail Blazers absorbed Brendan Haywood’s deal, ironically from the Cavaliers, the only team with the cap space available to throw Thompson a max or near-max deal is the Philadelphia 76ers. And they’re neither buyers nor in a position to add anymore frontcourt talent.
It originally looked like Thompson was going to re-sign for $80 million to $85 million over the next five years, and chances are that’s exactly what he’ll do. The value over its life may increase, but the point still stands: Thompson isn’t going anywhere.
Kudos to LeBron for keeping it real on Twitter, as always.
